Machine



J C DRIGGS SEWING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 15` 1867.

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@nimh tstrs @anni @Hita JEHIEL C. DRIGGS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MATTHEW T.

HIGGINS.

Letters Patent No. 61,176, dated January 15, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES.

@Ltr Segnale numb tu in there Enters atmt :mi making part nt it: kann .LG ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JEHIEL C. DRIGGS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a. certain new. and useful Improvement in Sewing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,lwhich forms part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents the side view of a sewing machine constructed according to my invention.

Figure 2, a front elevation of the same with the base-plate in section and Figure 3, a horizontal section, taken as indicated by the line z z in iig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

The one part of my invention relates to the gripe or hold of the cloth or other work upon the table of sewing machines, and the nature of it consists in giving the table a lifting or upward pressure, so as to hold the cloth against a. fixed foot above, whereby the insertion of the cloth between the foot and table and removal therefrom are facilitated. The nature of anoth'er part of my invention, which is specially applicable to those machines that employ a needle-feed, consists in a novel combination of arotating crank or eccentric pin working in a horizontallyslotted arm or piece that is made to slide up and down or reciprocate in another vertically-slotted arm, which serves as a guide to direct the up-and-down motion of the needle, said latter arm being made capable of rocking by means of a spring to throw it in onedirection, and a cam on the needle-operating shaft acting upon a lever to work it in the other, for the purpose of producing a needle-feed, and whereby, in both the up-and-down and lateral or feeding actions of the needle, not only7` is the usual needlebar dispensed with, but much complication avoided, and a greater compactness insured; and the nature of my invention further consists in a novel combination, with a needle working from below upwards through the table, of a looper above the table, attached by a. pivot to an arm radiating from a rocking-shaft, and operated by a guide and spring, to give it, in a simple and etiicient manner, its necessary movements to catch and spread out the loop in the formation of a chain stitch.' I

To enable others skilled in constructing and making sewing machines to understand its construction and operation, I will new proceed to describe my invention as exhibited in the accompanying drawing.

Though applicable in part to other machines, my invention is here shown as embraced in a single-thread machine employing a needle-feed, the needle working from below and looper above the table. In the drawing, the portion marked A represents the base-plate of the machine B, the upper framework mounted thereon; C, a drivingfshaft, giving motion by gear a a to the needle-operating shaft I), which is arranged to run from back to front below the level of the table E. Projecting from the face of a cam, F, carried bythe needle-shaft in front, is an eccentric pin, b, thatplays in a horizontal slot, c, of an arm or piece, G, to produce the necessary up-and-down'motion through and out of the cloth to the needle d, which it carries, said horizontally-slotted arm being guided in said motion by a box or projection from it working in a vertical slot, e, of: a rocking-arm or lever, H, that has its fulcrumfbelow. This leverI H is rocked intermittently at intervals, that is, in a forward l .direction along or across the table through a slot therein, to produce the feed of the cloth, when vthe needle, by

the action of the eccentric pin l and horizontally-slotted arm G, has passed up through the cloth, and afterwards, when the needle is out of the cloth, in a reverse or backward direction, to establish a fresh feed by means of the cam F on the needle-shaft D, acting on or against a branch, g, of the lever H, to produce the feeding ,stroke of the needle, and a spring, J', pressing against said lever to throw it back after the feed has been eiected. To regulate the amount o f feed, each stroke, and, of a consequence, the length of stitch, the branchg is jointed or hinged below to the lever II, and connected with it at the top by a set-screw, h, that, accordingly as it (the screw) is turned to the right or left, adjusts' the distance of the branch g from the c'am F, Vand consequently the throw of the rocking-lever I-I, that carries in its vertical slot the horizontally-slotted needle-arm or piece G.

By this simple combination of the transversely-slotted arms G and H, operating together and operated as described, and'rotating cam F actuating the one-slotted arm H, not only may the one shaft D serve to communicate both the np-and-down and lateral or feeding motions to the needlehand the cam which gives the feeding stroke be the carrier of the eccentric pin, that by its gear with the horizontally-slotted arm secures to the needle its penetration of and withdrawal from the cloth, but ,the-usual needle-bar is dispensed with, and the whole forms, a compact arrangement that may lie below the table. The clothftable E is made free to move up and down, or,

in other words, has an upward spring or pressure by means of a-steni, i, projecting fromits bottom y:uullitting s0 as to be capable of sliding vertically in a'box of the frame B, that'carries the spring j, -which, acting againstv the table or steni thereof, has a tendency to press the table upwards, but which, yielding on force being applied to the top of the table, allowsof the latter being depressed for the introduction and removal of the cloth between it (the table) and a presser-foot, J. This presser-foot is stationary in relationvto the verticalmotion of tho table, and may be rigidly secured to the frame B at its front upper end.' To keep the table E from Iturning, it maybe guided by a projection from its stern z', working in a slot in the box of thefrauio that carries rhcst'enl, as shown in figs. 1 and 2. This combination of a table having a. spring or upward pressure and stationary presser-foot gives increased facility for putting in and tak-ing out work, as the pressure of the' hand of the operator on thetable whilst insertingor removing the work depresses the table, yand consequently opens'the space between the table and presser-foot, thus'dispe'nsing' with a separate application of force or motion to accomplish the saule.4 K is the bobbin or reel', and lathe needle thread, which, passing through; an eye, l, in the lever-branch g, is led. -through a loop in a spring, m, that acts as a take-up tothe slack of the needle thread, and from thence through a fixed loop, x, and hole n in the needle-slide up through the eye of' the needle. As the n eedlcin its descent or back motion through the ur ual slots in the presser-foot and table forms a slackiof the thread above the clothor work, the loop s'o'established is caught and spread or held open for thc next upward movement of the needle to pass thread through, in the formation4 of a. chain stitch, by a looper, L. To secure this necessary action of the looper, it is made capable, after having caught the loop and towards the completion of and return from its forward stroke, of Yreciprocating horizontally, by pivoting it to a rod or arm, o, radiating from a rocking-shaft,' M, said looper being directed in its one horizontal swing by a' guide, p, and inthe other hy a spring, q, and .said rocking-shaft M, the motion of which causes the' looper to enter and retire from the loop, being operated by a cam, r, on the driving-shaft acting against a. lever, s, which is pivoted to an arm, t, fixed to the rockings-haft, a spring, u, serving to return the'lrocking-shaft after having been swung by theaction of the cam r.

V l What I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

L The combination, in `needle-feeding machines, of the horizontally-*slotted arm G, operated byna1 crank or eccentric pin D, and carrying the needle, vertically-slotted arm H', with its adjustable branch and spring J, and rotating cam F, for 'giving to the needle its twofold motion, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a needle working from below up through the tab1eof a looper L above the table, acted upon by a spring q and guide p, and pvoted to al rod owarm o, radiating from a rocking-shaft M, essentially as herein set forth, and for the production of a single-thread or chain stitch,

` J. C. DRIGGS.

Witnesses:

A. LE Canne, J. W. CooMBs. 

